Angel Of Protection
by Snoring Dragon Productions
Summary: Angel is half the size she should be with overgrown ears and a tail that is too big for her body. Jack is cursed to heal but constantly get hurt. They both need someone... is that someone each other? (T for romance but nothing mature)


Chapter 1: The First Day of School

The morning air was cold and crisp. It caused the leaves to blow slightly on the ground and the trees to sway gently. A small lump huddled underneath a bright, yellow blanket. The blanket was adorned with patches of different colors and helped keep the lump nice and warm despite the weather outside. Suddenly, loud beeping disrupted the still silence of early morning. The small lump began to stir and shake off the warmth of the blanket.

She groaned as the cold air hit her soft fur and hugged herself in an attempt to recreate the feeling of being underneath the protective layer of cotton. Her small paws rubbed against her bright, yellow fur. She licked her lips and gave a small yawn before walking into the bathroom. A dazed expression stared back at her from the bathroom mirror. The young fox took a pink brush in her dainty paws and began to brush her orange bangs. The brush quickly removed any tangles that could be found in the sweeping layer of fur above her eyes. Her mismatched eyes twinkled for a moment. Specks of light danced in a light green eye and a light purple one before they were replaced by the cold glaze of fear.

"I don't want to go." She whispered as she stared at the small fox in front of her.

"Angel, time for school!" Her mother called out.

"Coming mommy." Angel said in a tiny voice. Her naturally small voice matched her small body. Although she was about to enter her first day of grade school, she still looked like she shouldn't even be able to talk. Half as big as all of the other kids she had met, Angel had never felt at ease when around others. Smaller children did not know how to play with someone who could not handle as much as they could and often hurt her by accident. After receiving a few injuries when trying to play, the timid fox pup had decided that she was better off alone.

Angel had always enjoyed drawing or reading by herself. She liked to look at flowers and talk to butterflies. It comforted her to know that there were things in the world that were smaller than she was. The ladybugs had made nice companions, but the _ants_ were even better. The yellow pup would often lie down on the soft grass and watch the ants carry food to their homes. More than once, Angel would sneak some of her snacks out of the house and help her friends prepare for the upcoming cold. Her mother had tried telling her that it was a waste of food. The innocent fox had replied by asking how it could be a waste when she was feeding the hungry. With no response, her mother had allowed her to feed her friends as long as she didn't do it too often.

But now she had to go to school. Angel wasn't sure what to expect. She trembled as she imagined the building full of giants. Everyone would be bigger than she was. Her large ears slanted down as fear began to consume her. Angel whimpered as tears rolled down her furry cheeks. She opened her unique eyes and saw a scared pup staring back at her. The pup's eyes were red and her cheeks were wet. Desperately, Angel raised herself onto the tips of her feet and tried to wipe the tears away from the other pup but was unable to reach. Groaning, she tried to raise herself as high as she could possibly go. Even that was not high enough.

"I'm sorry. I'm just too small." She said quietly. Without another word, she turned around and exited the bathroom. Her large fluffy tail, only her ears and tail were the size they should be, dragged behind her.

"Angel, hurry or we'll be late!" Her mother called out again as she made her daughter's lunch. She turned around to see Angel sniffling while standing a few feet away.

"What's wrong baby girl?" The slender lavender fox asked as she scooped her daughter into her arms. She gently nuzzled the top of the trembling pup's head.

"I-I-I don't w-want to go to sc-sc-school! Everyo-one is b-b-bigger than me!" Angel cried out as she buried her face in her mother's soft fur.

Her mother sighed as she gently stroked the back of her sobbing child. She knew what her daughter was feeling. Although she had been blessed with a beautiful body, she still had felt awkward as a child. Eyes would marvel at her lavender coat, splotched with light pink. Her mouth and chest was a pure white and the tip of her tail resembled snow. Lush lashes framed her ice blue eyes. No matter what she had been told as a pup, she could not see what others did. Angel's mother closed her eyes and hugged her daughter tight. She had felt alone as a pup and did not want her daughter to feel the same. But what could she do?

"You'll be fine. Everyone is going to love you." The fox lied to her pup. How could she know what they would do to her? For a small pup with oversized ears and a tail that was too large for her body, school was going to be a horrible place. But the hopeful mother prayed that she was wrong. She prayed that her daughter would finally find peace somewhere other than the sanctuary of her home.

"Yes, mommy." Angel sounded slightly optimistic as she released the lavender fox.

That broke her mother's heart most of all. Forcing a smile on her face, she kissed her daughter and left to gather her purse. Angel watched her mother go before taking a deep breath. Her mismatched eyes hardened as she swore that she was going to have a great first day of school. Going into the kitchen, she quickly scarfed down her fruit salad and drank a small glass of milk. Her stomach felt comfortably full as she tied her bright green bow on her right ear. Truly smiling for the first time that day, Angel grabbed her pink, heart shaped backpack and waited by the door for her mother. Everything was going to be fine. Her mother had told her that everyone would love her and Angel trusted her mother more than anyone else in the world.

...

Jack yawned and scratched his head as the morning rays lit up his bedroom. He had to blink his eyes a few times before he was able to see. Once he regained his sight he smiled and hopped out of his bed. Blue covers tumbled down to the ground but he did not bother to pick them up. He was _way_ too excited! Grinning from ear to ear, he dashed over to Zill's bed, located on the other side of the room, and began shaking his friend awake. He made sure to run a few feet away after he had shaken him a few times. Zill was the nicest guy Jack knew, but he possessed some strange powers that neither of them understood. The last thing he wanted was Zill to hurt him.

"Zill, wake up!" He hissed as he noticed his friend's body twitch. He was more concerned for Zill's well being than he was for his own. Jack knew that he would heal within a few minutes because of his curse, but hurting someone would ruin Zill's entire day. Jack jumped up and down with excitement. The last thing he wanted was the day ruined.

"What? ¿Qué pasa?" Zill asked with a yawn. His bright eyes were dazed and unfocused as he tried to find his friend.

"The first day of school Get up!" Jack said with enthusiasm. His light brown fur stuck up all over him like a unkept bush as he raced around the room. Quickly grabbing his brush, he proceeded to brush his fur while pulling his backpack out from underneath his bed.

"Was that there all night?" Zill asked as he slowly climbed from his bed. He made sure to fix his orange sheets before approaching his excited friend. Zill was the calmer of the two for the moment, a rare occurrence between the two. The normally calm jackal pup was practically pushing Zill towards the bedroom door so they could get their breakfast.

Zill pressed his feet firmly against the ground, causing himself to stop and the pup to fall to the floor. The fall was not far and Jack merely got a small bump on his nose. Smiling, Jack pushed Zill as the bump disappeared in a matter of seconds. The shoving continued for a few minutes, all thoughts of school forgotten. Zill gave one last hard shove, causing his friend to fall flat on the floor. Jack landed on his back, saving himself from further injuries, and remembered that he was wearing his blue backpack. His black eyes widened as he saw the smirk on Zill's face. Playfully growling, he accepted Zill's hand and pulled himself up.

"You know we have to go to school!" He said while giving Zill's back a pat.

" _You_ never answered me! Why do you have your backpack under your bed? You know your mom said to leave it in the living room." Zill said with a grin. His purple eyes twinkled with mischief when he saw the nervous look on the jackal's face.

"I… um… well." Jack stammered.

"She doesn't know, does she?" Zill said softly.

"No. But I can get it there before mama even knows it is gone!" Jack said quickly.

"Not if I tell her first!" Zill called over his shoulder as he raced out the door.

"Zill! Don't!" Jack yelled as he raced after him. He panted as he forced his legs to pump faster and faster than he ever had before. Zill was much faster than him, but Jack couldn't think of anything else to do. Catching a glimpse of a cream colored tail around the corner, he knew that Zill would reach his mother soon. Gulping, he did the only thing he could think of. Closing his eyes, Jack hurled himself forward and landed on top of Zill. The impact caused Zill to land face first into the ground, but Jack kept rolling forward until he smashed into the wall. Moaning, Jack held his aching head. He knew the bump would disappear, he had smashed into the wall many times before, but he also knew that the pain took longer to fade. His eyes brimmed with tears as he tried to force the pain to leave.

"Jack?" Zill murmured as he raised his head off of the floor. His purple eyes widened when he saw his best friend lying on the ground clutching his head. "Jack!"

Zill raced over to Jack in a green streak. His impact against the wall caused cracks to form but he didn't even notice. Panting from using his powers, Zill slowly lifted Jack up and helped him stand. Wobbly from the pain, the poor pup almost fell over again. Zill quickly laced an arm around him to prevent him from falling. He gave Jack an apologetic smile. Sighing with relief when Jack returned the smile, Zill felt comfortable enough to speak.

"Sorry." Zill said quietly. His eyes met Jack's as he spoke.

"It's okay." Jack said as he held his ringing head.

"I wasn't going to tell." Zill continued while giving a small laugh. "But I think now we have to tell about something else." He motioned toward the spiderweb cracks that he had made in the wall. Jack's face grew pale as he examined the damage. They had been warned several times to keep Zill's powers in control.

"Zill, you know how mama says three strikes and you are out?" Jack asked nervously.

"Yes. So?" Zill answered with a confused look.

"I think we reached three strikes a long time ago." Jack said with a shudder.

The two boys turned around when they heard the sounds of footsteps coming from behind them. Their eyes met two slender, cream colored paws. One was tapping softly on the floor. That was never a good sign. Their eyes slowly wandered up. Journeying past a cream body, to a cream mouth set in a frown, to a pair of black eyes that seemed to have lost all of their sparkle. Blushing with shame, Jack and Zill tried to smile but ended up only looking guiltier. Jack's mom gave a long sigh before pointing to the damage on the wall. Her eyes narrowed as she waited for an explanation. When the two boys said nothing she rolled her eyes and began to scold them harshly.

"What happened here?" She began. "No, let me guess. You boys were rough housing again and Jackson got hurt."

At the mention of his name, Jack removed his paw from his head in an attempt to hide how much it actually hurt. His mother was not satisfied.

"So Zill got upset and shot across the room. Finally, the wall got damaged, Jackson got damaged, and my patience got damaged." She finished with a long sigh, placing her own paw on her head as she got a headache of her own. "I can't keep repeating myself. If things don't change then I'm sorry but… I think Zill should live somewhere else."

"No!" Jack cried out as his eyes brimmed with tears. "He didn't mean it! He was just worried about me!"

"Jackson, I know you like Zill but…" His mother said gently.

"I don't just like him! I _love_ Zill! He's my brother!" Jack said defiantly as he gripped Zill's hand in his tiny paw. Unblinking, he dared his mother to break them apart.

Zill just stood there silently, but his gaze never left Jack's mother's eyes.

"I… Jackson… you know he's not really…" She tried to explain to her son that Zill was not really his brother but the words would not come. "All right. Just be more careful."

The young boys watched her as she trudged away slowly, her head shaking the whole time. Jack did not let go of Zill's hand until she had left their sight. He grinned at Zill and gave him a quick hug before letting go. Smiling, they went to the kitchen to grab some breakfast. The mood had already improved and they soon were chatting excitedly about what their first day of school would be like.


End file.
